Trolley-switch for block-signal systems.



No. 772,547. PATBNTED 00w. 18,1904.

' J. WEATHERBY, JR.

TROLLEY SWITCH FOR BLOCK SIGNAL sYsTBMs APPLICATION TILED DEC. 7, 1903.

N0 MODEL.

2 SHBBTS- SHEET 1.

Inventor Witnesses Ca WIIML, Ma. 1

Attcgmey' ing mechanism.

No. 772,547. A

UNITED STAT S Patented October 18, 1904.

PATENT OFFICE.

JOSEPH WEATHERBY, JE, or NEW ouMBEELAND, PENNSYLVANIA, A ASSIGNOR TO THE WEATHERBY ELECTRIC AND MANUFACTUR- INe ooMPANY, or NEW CUMBERLAND, PENNSYLVANIA, A ooEPo- RATION OF DELAWARE.

TROLLEY-SWITCH FOR BLOCK-SIGNAL. SYSTEMS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 772,547, dated October 18, 1904-.-

Application filed December '7, 1903; Serial No. 184,154. (No model.) I

To all/whom it may concern:

Be it known that'I, JOSEPH WEATHEEBY,

certain new and useful Improvements in Trol ley-Switches for Block-Signal Systems; and I do declare the following to be a full, clear, and

exact description of the'invention, such as willv enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

This invention relates to switches for block Signal systems for electric railways, and particularly to switches of that kind operated by the trolley of the car at a turnout or station to close an electric circuit controlling the signal- The object of the invention is to provide a switch of this character which is susceptible of ready application to existing railways and in which provision is made for effectually preventing the switch member from swinging be-' yond center when returning to itsnormaLposition, thus obviating derangement of the switch member or improper operation of the signal mechanism.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure lis' a view in side elevation of a trolley-switch embodying my invention, showing the same supported in proper relationto the trolley- Wire. Fig. 2 is an end view of the same. Fig. 3 is a vertical longitudinal section on an enlarged scale. Fig. 4 is a horizontal section taken on the plane indicated by the line i t of Fig. 3, and Fig. 5 is a vertical cross-section taken on the plane indicated by the irregular line 5 5 of Fig. 3.

Referring now more particularly to the drawings, the numeral 1 represents atrolleywire, and 2 a hanger-ear for supporting, the same, the said ear being provided with a threaded socket 3, which in practice in the ordinary arrangement'receives the projecting end of a threaded stem 4 upon an insulator 5, around switch mechanism in such manner that it is adapted to be'arranged between the hangerear and insulator and to be connected thereto by intermediate coupling means.

The Switch mechanism comprises a casing 6, consisting of a base-plate 7 and a cover 8, the latter being adjustably secured upon said baseplate' by connecting-screws or like fastening devices 9. This casing is secured in position between the hanger-ear and insulator through the medium of a coupling device consisting of a bolt or stem 10, having a threaded lower end 11, projecting through an opening in the and provided at its upper end with a screwthreaded socket 12 to receive the lower endof the insulator-stem 1, which enters through an opening in the top of the cover 8 of the casing 6. By this construction it will be seen that in applying. my improved switch mechanism to existing railway structures it issimply necessary to detach the insulator from the hangerear and to apply and couple the switch-casing thereto in the manner described.

Inorder to support the switch mechanism in proper position, the coupling bolt or stem 10 isarranged to extend centrally within the casing 6', and disposed eccentrically in said casing on one side of the vertical line of the saidcoupling-bolt 10 is a transverse rock-shaft 13, journaled in suitable bearings 14 upon the base-plate 7 and projecting to the exterior through open-ended slots 15 in the lower edges of the sides of the casing-cover 8, said slots permitting said cover to be applied and removed without disturbing said shaft 13. Upon theends of this shaft are secured the members 16 and 17 of a yoke-shaped or bail-shaped switch-lever 18, which is swung by the action of the trolley-wheel of a passing car to rock the shaft 13 in one direction or the other. The lowerends of these members 16 and 17 of the lever 18 are inturned and approach each other, but are separated for a sufficient distance to allow the lever to swing to a plane above and clear the trolley-wire 1 and hangerear 2 when said lever is swung by the trolley- 6o base-plate 7 to enter the socket 3 of the ear 2 wheel in either direction to control the circuit connection. In one direction of movement the upward swing of the lever 18 is controlled by the same striking against the under side of the base-plate 4:, while in the other direction of movement of said lever the upward swing thereof is arrested by a stop-plate 19, which is employed to extend the casing at one end for the purpose set forth, owing to the eccentric disposition of the rock-shaft and switch-lever.

Secured to the rock-shaft 13 is a contactshoe 20 of segmental form to contact with sets or series of curved contact springs or strips 21 21 and 22 22', secured to bindingposts 23 23 and 24: 2 1 on opposite sides of the plane of the shaft 13. Said contact-strips and binding-posts are mounted upon but insulated from standards 25, which are connected by spaced end pieces 26 and form therewith a frame to support the said contact-strips, the binding-posts, and the friction wheels or disks, hereinafter described, which control the action of the swinging switch-lever 18. To the binding-posts 23 23 and 2 1 24 are connected sets of circuit-wires 27 27 and 28 28, which lead upwardly through the cover 8 and are designed in practice to be connected up with electrical circuit connections for respectively operating signals facing in opposite directions, the said signals serving to indicate to cars passing in opposite directions whether or not the blocks or sections of the line are clear or free for travel or occupied by a car or cars. In one direction of movement the contact-shoe 20 engages the strips 21 21' and closes a circuit to operate a signal facing in one direction in the far end of the block,also releasing signal in the near end of block, while in the other direction of movement of the lever the shoe engages the strips 22 22 and closes a circuit to operate a signal facing in the reverse direction at the far end of the block and releasing signal at the near end of block.

The signal mechanism is not herein shown, as it forms no part of the present invention; but it may be of the type shown in my prior application for patent, filed July 24, 1902, Serial No. 116,811, or of the construction shown in an application for patent, Serial No. 184,646, filed December 10, 1903. I therefore do not limit the switch for use in connection with any particular kind, construction,or character of signaling mechanism.

It will be readily understood that in the practical operation of the device when the lever 18 is swung in one direction by the trolley-wheel of a passing car to contact with one of the sets of strips-say the strips 21 21 that it is a desideratum to prevent said lever when returning to its normal position from moving past center and casually swinging past a proper operative position or contacting with the opposite sets of stripsnamel y,

the contact-strips 22 22-for the reason that in one case failure of the trolley-wheel to properly swing the lever may occur or the lever may be swung to such an extent as to cause the shoe 20 on being restored to its normal position by the gravitative action of the lever to move to an undue extent and come into contact with the opposite set of strips or brushes, thus closing the circuit to operate the wrong signal. To meet this objection, I provide means for preventing the switch-lever and shoe when swinging back to their normal positions after being operated by the trolley of a passing car from moving past center and casually operating the connections of the reverse signal. These means comprise a stop-arm 29, 11X0(l to the shaft 13 and having a reduced or flattened free end 30, forming a frictional contact-surface to engage the edges or peripheries of a pair of friction wheels or disks 31 and 32, journaled upon the cross-bars26ofthesupporting-frame. \Vhen the lever and shoe are in their normal positions, as shown in Fig. 3, the frictional contact portion 30 of the said stop-arm 29 lies in the space or recess between the said two friction wheels or disks; but when the lever is swung in one direction or the other the said friction-surface of the arm engages the pcriphery of either the disk 31 or the disk 32, which will oppose suflicient frictional resistance to prevent the same from swinging too violently and on the return movement of the lever under the action of gravity of the latter will act similarly to prevent said lever from swinging beyond center or from swinging beyond the normal positive position. (Shown in Fig. 3.) Thus it will be seen that when the lever is swung to bring the shoe 2() into engagement with the brushes 21 21 upon the release of said lever by the trolley the action of thelever on its reverse or retractive movement will be limited by the disk 31, which will arrest the retractive motion to such an extent as to prevent the lever from gaining suflicient swinger momentum to pass beyond the disk 32 and come in contact with the strips or brushes 22 22. In a similar manner when the lever is swung in the reverse direction the disk 32 will serve to prevent a reverse swing of the shoe and lever to such an extent as to prevent the shoe after having closed the circuit of which the strips 22 22 form a part from closing the circuit of which the strips 21 21 form a part upon the back movement or retractive swing of the lever and shoe in returning to their normal position. Hence it will be seen that by the simple form of frictional stop mechanism provided for the purpose set forth casual operation of a signal device not intended to be operated or movement of the switch-lever out of operative position will be effectually avoided.

From the foregoing description, taken in connection with the accompanying drawings,

theconstruction and mode of operation of the invention will be readily understood, audit will be seen that a switch mechanism of sim- I claim, and desire to secure by Letters Pat ent, is I 1. In a circuit-controlling switch for blocksignal systems, the combination with a hangerear, and a guy-wire insulator, said ear and insulator having engaging portions for direct normal connection, of a coupling adapted to engage said engaging portions of the ear and insulator and hold them spaced apart or extended from direct connection, and a switchboX adapted to occupy thespace between the spaced-apart or extended ear and insulator and to be connected by the coupling thereto, substantially as described. a

2. In a circuit-controlling switch for blocksignal systems of electric railways, the combination with a hanger ear, and a guy-wire insulator, of an interposed switch device having a casing, and a coupling within the casing connecting the casing to the ear and insulator, substantially-as described.

3. In a circuit-controlling switch for blocksignal systems of electric railways, the com*.

bination with a hanger-ear, and a guy-wire insulator, one having a threaded socket and the other a threaded stem, of an interposed switch device having a casing, and a coupling member having threaded portions for connection with the threaded elements of the ear and insulator, substantially as described.

4. In a circuit-controlling switch for blocksignal systems, the combination with a hangerear, and a guy-Wire insulator, of an interposed switch-box, and a coupling connected to said ear and insulator andclamping the switch-box thereto, said coupling having an adjustable.

connection to regulate the clamping action, substantially as described.

5. In a-switch device of the'character described, the combination with a trolley-wire hanger-ear, and a guy-wire insulator, of a switch comprising a casing interposed between said ear and insulator, a concentricallydisposed coupling connection connecting said casing with said ear and insulator, a contactshoe, an eccentrically-arranged lever for operating said shoe, and circuit connections on v opposite sides of the lever adapted to be engaged by reverse movements of the shoe, substantially as described.

6. In a switch device of the character described, the combination with a trolley-wire hanger-ear, and a guy-wire insulator, of a switch comprising a casing interposed between said ear and insulator, a concentrically-disposed coupling connection connecting said casing with said ear and insulator, a contactshoe, an eccentrically-arranged lever for operating said shoe, circuit connections on opposite sides of the lever adapted to be engaged by reverse movements of the shoe, and means for preventing the lever from swinging beyond center when returning to its normal position, substantially as described.

' 7 In' a switch device of the character described, a swinging switch-lever, and friction elements for preventing undue swing of the lever when returning to its normal position.

8. In a switch device of the character described, a swinging switch-lever, opposite contacts adapted to be engaged by reverse movements of the lever, said lever being gravity-retracted, and means for preventing undue swing of the lever when returning to its normal position, said means comprising friction elements, substantially as described.

9. In a switch device of the character 'described, a swinging switch-lever, opposite contacts adapted tobe engaged-by reverse movements of the lever, said lever being gravityretracted, an arm movable with the lever, and friction-disks adapted to be engaged by said arm, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand in presence of two subscribing wit- 

